Chipotle Ranch (Creamy, Zesty, Spicy!)
Chipotle Ranch is a creamy, zesty, homemade dressing with a spicy kick from chipotle! It’s fabulous on salads or as a dipping sauce.
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below and we'll send it to your inbox. Plus get our best recipes every week!
If you like homemade ranch dressing -- and you also happen to be a fan of spice -- you're going to LOVE this Chipotle Ranch!
This recipe is creamy and zippy with a heat level that's totally customizable. And its potential uses are versatile and innumerable!
Chipotle Ranch Dressing would be delicious poured over green salads or taco salads, drizzled over fresh tomatoes, slathered onto a burger, or used as a dipping sauce for chicken tenders, fries, or other veggies.
So many ways to enjoy it...YUM!
Ingredients
The majority of ingredients for this Chipotle Ranch mirror the ingredients in classic ranch dressing...with just a few exchanges and additions, of course!
- Mayonnaise, sour cream, + buttermilk. The trifecta for the base of the ranch.
- Fresh cilantro. Minced. Optional if you happen to hate it, but highly recommended if you don't. 😉
- Apple cider vinegar + Worcestershire sauce. For an undertone of zing and savory flavor.
- Garlic powder + onion powder. I find fresh minced garlic a little too potent in certain salad dressings, so garlic powder is a more mellow compromise.
- Salt + freshly ground black pepper. To taste.
- Chipotle chile pepper powder. The secret ingredient that gives this Chipotle Ranch its heat! It packs a punch, so you can (and should) use more or less to your preferences. If you’re worried about the heat level, I recommend starting with ½ teaspoon chipotle powder and tasting before adding ¼ teaspoon more at a time until you reach your desired heat level. Similarly, if the recipe is not hot enough for you initially, keep stirring in ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder at a time until it tastes right. (And yes, if you have a can of chipotles in adobo already open, you could use some adobo sauce in place of the chipotle powder for this Chipotle Ranch...but you'll have to experiment with how much to use!)
How to Make Chipotle Ranch
(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)
This Chipotle Ranch Dressing is super quick and easy to make.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk until smooth.
- Stir in the cilantro, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Add the chipotle chile pepper powder. Blend well and adjust the seasonings, to taste.
One of the most important steps is the final one: give your Chipotle Ranch adequate time to chill after making it!
This recipe will taste mayonnaise-y right after you make it. However, that flavor will dissipate and the other flavors will meld and pop during the chilling time.
How to Make Chipotle Ranch Dip
If you know you're going to use this Chipotle Ranch as a dip instead of a dressing, it's easy to thicken it up a bit.
Simply omit the buttermilk and sub extra mayo and/or sour cream in its place (I recommend ¾ cup mayonnaise + ¾ cup sour cream).
Easy-peasy!
How to Make Buttermilk
You could use milk in place of the buttermilk in this Chipotle Ranch, but I don't think you should. 😉 Buttermilk gives ranch dressing its quintessential tang...and it's super easy to make from scratch!
Making buttermilk is as simple as using 1 tablespoon (AKA, 3 teaspoons) of acid for every cup of milk.
So for this particular recipe:
1. Add 1 ½ teaspoons of lemon juice (or white vinegar) to a 1-cup measuring cup.
2. Fill the rest of the way to the ½-cup mark with whole milk and stir to combine.
3. Let the mixture sit for five to ten minutes, stir, and it will have thickened and curdled, turning into buttermilk!
So pour your Chipotle Ranch over a salad, spread it on a sandwich or burger, drizzle it over tacos or burrito bowls, or use as a dip for chicken, fries, or fresh veggies.
However, you decide to enjoy it, I think you're going to LOVE its creamy decadence balanced by its zippy kick!
More Creamy Homemade Salad Dressings
Chipotle Ranch
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons fresh minced cilantro, optional
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chile pepper powder, more or less, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk until smooth. Stir in cilantro, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Add chipotle chile pepper powder. Blend well and adjust seasonings, to taste.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, up to overnight. If the consistency is too thick after chilling, thin out your Chipotle Ranch with a splash of additional buttermilk. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- If you don't have any buttermilk on hand, you can make your own by pouring 1 ½ teaspoons of lemon juice (or white vinegar) into a 1-cup liquid measuring cup. Fill the measuring cup up to the ½-cup line with milk (whole milk is preferred but low-fat/skim milk will work). Allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes and stir before proceeding with recipe.
- If you’re not a fan of cilantro, you may omit it.
- If you’re worried about the heat level, I recommend starting with ½ teaspoon chipotle powder and tasting before adding ¼ teaspoon more at a time until you reach your desired heat level.
- Similarly, if the recipe is not spicy enough for you initially, keep stirring in ¼ teaspoon chipotle at a time until it tastes right.
- This recipe will taste mayonnaise-y right after you make it. That flavor will dissipate and the other flavors will blend and pop during the chilling time.
- To make a thicker Chipotle Ranch Dip (instead of dressing), use a total of ¾ cup mayonnaise, ¾ cup sour cream, and eliminate the buttermilk.
- Chipotle Ranch may be poured over a salad, spread on a sandwich or burger, drizzled over tacos or burrito bowls, or used as a dip for chicken, fries, or fresh veggies.
